The Louvre Museum reported a new record in visitor numbers in 2018, and it's crediting music superstars Beyoncé and Jay-Z, AKA The Carters, according to Reuters.
The Carters’ 2018 music video, "APES**T," was filmed in the historic museum, featuring some of the museum's key works of art. The video has been viewed nearly 150 million times on YouTube since its release.
Reuters reported that the Louvre announced their visitor numbers in 2018 had soared to 10.2 million over the course of the year, which is not only a 25-percent increase from 2017, but also breaks its previous record of 9.7 million visitors from 2012.
In 2012, Reuters reported, the museum held exhibitions for the artists Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael as well as opened a new Islamic art section.
This part year, however, despite Paris being bogged down with political protests, the Louvre (as well as other Parisian tourist sites) has still managed to keep its visitor numbers high. This is, no doubt, partially due to the museum’s special Beyoncé and Jay-Z themed tour, in which visitors can view all the artworks featured in the “APESH**T” music video.
As Reuters points out, about three-quarters of visitors at the Louvre are from the U.S. (1.5 million) and China (1 million). Since The Carters are from the U.S. and international superstars, it’s not hard to infer that they have strongly influenced their fans.
And in this case, The Carters’ artwork inspires millions to educate themselves on both history and world art as well.
“It is good to see that these American artists, creators of today, are interested in a museum of archaeology and ancient art,” Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez told Reuters.
